Control device for the recording mechanism of weighing apparatus



Oct. 6, 1953 A VAN DUYN 2,654,596

CONTROL DEICE FOR THE RECORDING MECHANISM OF WEIGHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 6, 1953 Filed Aug. 2, 1947 A. VAN DUYN CONTROL. DEVICE FOR THE RECORDING MECHANISM OF WEIGHING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 6, 1953 A VAN DUYN 2,654,596

CONTROL DE'ICE FOR THE RECORDING MECHANISM OF' WEIGHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 6, 1953 CONTROL DEVICE FOR THE RECORDING MECHANISM OF WEIGHING APPARATUS Adrianus van Duyn, Hillegersberg, Rotterdam, Netherlands, assignor to U. S. Slicing Machine Company, Inc., a corporation of Indiana Application August 2, 1947, Serial No. 765,668 In the Netherlands September 24, 1941 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires September 24, 1961 Claims.

This invention relates to a control device for the recording mechanism of Weighing apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide a sim- Dle and robust mechanical control device whereby operation of the recording mechanism is positively prevented during weighing movement of theweighing apparatus, and is automatically effected when the weighing apparatus attains action or the spring effects recording movement to the printing mechanism. Prior to each Weighing operation, the spring is manually wound by a crank handle 4st which is secured to the spindle SI, and is locked against unwinding by a spring-urged pawl 45 which co-operates with a catch lit on the handle.

Trigger mechanism adapted to p-revent rotary driving movement of the drum 29 during Weighequilibrium. f 10 ing movement of the weighing apparatus, con- According to the invention, there is provided sists of a double-armed trigger lever 23 pivotally a control device for the recording mechanism of mounted at 24, and a double-armed support lever Weighing apparatus, said device including driv- 2l] pivotally mounted at 2| and provided with a ing means for the recording mechanism, operapoise 22 at the end of its arm 23a. The levers tion of the driving eans being prevented during 10 20 and 23 both tend to pivot in anti-clockwise weighing movement of the weighing apparatus, direction. With the trigger mechanism pre-set and being effected when the weighing apparatus (Fig. 1), the end 2l of tht trigger 23 engages the attains equilibrium, characterized in that the tip of an abutment 28 on the drum 29, to prevent driving means preferably comprises a spring rotation of the drum, and the end 25 of the motor adapted for manual Winding prior to each trigger extends over the edge of a stepped portion weighing operation. 26 of the lever 20.

Further according to the invention, there is Release of the trigger mechanism is effected provided a control device for the recording by causing slight clockwise pivoting movement mechanism of weighing apparatus, said device of the lever 20, and thereafter releasing the lever comprising a spring motor adapted to drive the to allow anti-clockwise movement thereof, under recording mechanism, trigger mechanism adaptits own weight, until the edge of the stepped ed to prevent driving action of the motors portion of the lever is clear of the trigger 23, wound spring dui-ing weighing movement of the which thereupon pivots in anti-clockwise direcweighing apparatus, and release means for the tion (Fig. 3) clear of the abutment 2d, to permit trigger mechanism, said means being operable 30, drivingmovement of the drum 29. by the weighing apparatus, so that when the The trigger mechanism is released by release weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, the trigmeans operable by the weighing apparatus, and ger mechanism is released and the motor opercomprising a pair of cranked levers II, I2 pivotates to drive the recording mechanism. ally mounted atvopposed points i3 and I 4, and

An embodiment of the invention will now be connected by rods S and It] to pistons 'l and 8 described by way of example with reference to movable in side-by-side dashpot cylinders 5 and the accompanying drawings, in which: 6 secured to each other. A relatively large dash- Fig. l is a side view of the control device when pot cylinder 4 secured to the cylinder 5 has therethe weighing apparatus is at zero position and in a piston 3 connected to the weigh beam I of the motor spring is unwound. the weighing apparatus by a rod 2. The dashpot Fig. 2 is a side view when the Weighing apparacylinders 4, 5 and 6 are filled with damping fluid, tus is between its zero and equilibrium positions, for example oil, and communicate with each the motor spring being fully wound. other through openings above and also below the Fig. 3 is a side view of the device when the pistons 3, l and B. When the weigh beam is staweighing apparatus is in its equilibrium position, tionary, the pistons 'i and 8 will be at the same the motor spring being partly unwound. level (Figs. l and 3). Also, with the weigh beam The recording mechanism (not Shown) is stationary, sector-shaped arms l5 and I6 of the adapted to give a printed record of the Weight levers I I and i2, respectively, are spaced from of the Commodity applied to the Weighing pmb each other (Figs. 1 and 3) to1 dene a vertical ratus, and is Operated by a swing motor com slot, a pin I S at the end of the lever 20 being sstmg of a rotary drum 29, a rotary Spindle 3l adapted to pass down the vertical slot, or beabout which the drum rotates, andaspiral spring tween the arms and '3, Whlch movement 3g located Within the drum and having one end serves to release the trigger mechanism (Fig. 3). fixed to the drum, and the other end xed to An extension il on the lever l2 carries acounterthe spindle. Rotation of the drum 29 under the '55' weight I8.

In Fig. 1 the levers I I and I1 are situated upon the abutments a and b, respectively.

Loading of the weighing apparatus causes a downward movement of the piston 3. This downward movement of the piston 3 has the effect of raising piston 'I such that this moves the lever arm I5 to a position for closing the slot between the lever arms I5 and I6 and engaging the pin I9. However, the piston 8 is still locked at that moment, whereby the lever arm I1 bears on its abutment h. Therefore, the piston 8 must stand in its resting position when the piston 'I has been moved upward.

By unloading of the weighing apparatus, it is clear that the piston 3 moves upward and the piston 'I downward by the suction of the fluid at the bottom under the piston and by the pressure of the iiuid above the piston. Of course, the piston e also moves downward by the suction force or" the fluid caused by the largepiston 3, whereby this piston and its lever arms I2 and I6 takes over the task of the arm I I, I5 of the piston so that only the arm I6 engages the pin I9, instead oi the arm I5, which is moved back to the position shown in Fig. 1.

When the weighing mechanism has come to its Zero position again, the levers I2 and II are going back to their original position by their own weights, as Fig. 1 shows, whereby the slot between the arms I5 and I6 is open for passage of the pin I9, which releases the trigger mechanism and permits operation of the motor and driving of the printing mechanism.

Resetting means for the trigger mechanism consists of a substantially U-shaped member having U arms 42 and 43, with slots at their upper ends engaged by pins on the lever 20 and on the trigger 23, respectively. A downwardly extending arm 38 on the U member is weighted at 3l, and has iixed thereto an adjustable abutment 39 adapted to be engaged by a pivotal hook 4I, which is spring-urged to maintain the U member in upper (or inoperative) position, in which position the pins are at the bottom of the slots, thereby allowing pivotal movement of the lever 2i! and trigger 23 (Figs. 2 and 3). The hook il has a cam portion 4Ia which, on anti-clockwise rotation of the drum 29, is engaged by the abutment 28, so that the hook is pivoted out of engagement with the abutment 3S and the loaded U member falls to a lower (or operative) position, the upperends of the slots engaging the pins and resetting the trigger mechanism. The drum 29 continues to rotate until the abutment strikes the end 2lA of the re-set trigger 23, the printing operation being completediand the spring wound down in one complete revolution of the drum.

Return of the re-setting means to inoperative position is effected by mechanism consisting of a cam 32 on Vthe spindle 3|, and a bell crank lever pivotally mounted at 34. with-.one arm 33 engaging the'cam 32, and the other arm 35 engageable Vwith a collar 36 on the arm 38. On turning'the handle Id anticlockwiseA to re-wind the spring for the next weighing operation, the pressure of the abutment 28 on the trigger 23 is suiiicient to maintain the trigger mechanism in re-set position (Fig. l), and on continued turn- Y ing ofthe handle, the cam 32 rocks the bell crank lever to cause the arm 35 to engage the Y collar 35 to raise the arm 38, which raises the ire-setting means to out-of-phase position. With the spring fully wound, the recording mecha- 4 nism is then ready for the next Weighing operation.

While the preferred form of the invention is herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit 'of this invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A control device for the recording mechanism of a weighing apparatus, said device embodying a spring motor having a rotary drum to drive the recording mechanism, a rotary spindle extending within the drum and adapted for rotation relatively to the drum, a spiral spring within the drum and having one end iXed to the drum and the other end fixed to the spindle, an abutment on the drum, means adapted to engage said abutment during weighing Ymovement of the weighing apparatus, to maintain the drum against driving movement, means controlled in its movement by the operation of the weighing apparatus, for releasing said drum when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, to permit the drum to drive the said recording mechanism, the last said means embodying a trip lever, and dash pot mechanism for controlling the operation of the trip lever.

2. A control device for recording mechanism of weighing apparatus, said device including driving means for the recording mechanism, a trigger for maintaining the driving means against operation, a lever for locking the trigger in operative position, locking means for retaining the said lever in a position to lock the trigger in its operative position, and means embodying dash pot mechanism, the action of which is responsive to the operation of the weighing mechanism, for rendering the last said means active when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium.

3. A control device for recording mechanism of weighing apparatus, said device including driving means for the recording mechanism, a trigger for maintaining the driving means against operation, a lever for locking the trigger in operative position, locking means for retaining the said lever in a position to lock the trigger in its operative position, means responsive to the operation of the weighing mechanism for rendering the last said means active when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, and means responsive to the operation of said driving means to reset against operation. 1

4. A control device for recording mechanism of weighing` apparatus, said device including driving means for the recording mechanism, a trigger for maintaining the driving means against operation, a lever for locking the trigger in operative position, locking means for retainingthe said lever in a position to lock the trigger in its operative position, means responsive to the operation of the weighing mechanism for Ymeans against operationV 1 and lockthe driving means 5. A control device ior recording mechanism of Weighing apparatus, said device including driving means for the recording mechanism, a trigger for maintaining the driving means against operation, a lever for locking the trigger in operative position, locking means for retaining the said lever in a position to lock the trigger in its operative position, means responsive to the operation or the weighing mechanism for rendering the last said means active when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, the means for rendering the lever active to lock sai trigger being also operable to render said lever inactive to release said trigger, setting means responsive to the operation of said driving means and common to said trigger and said lever for setting them in a position to loci; the driving means against operation, means for locking said setting means in active position with respect to said lever and trigger, and a part oi said trigger adapted to contact and release said locking means for moving the lever and trigger setting means into inactive position with respect thereto.

6. A control device for the recording mechanism of a weighing apparatus, said device including driving means ior the recording mechanism, means for maintaining said driving means against operation until the Weighing mechanism attains equilibrium, means embodying fluid actuated means controlled in operation by the actuation of the Weighing mechanism, to render the second said means inactive, the said Iluid actuated means embodying a pair oi fluid displacement elements operating in opposition to each other, and means responsive to the operation or the weighing mechanism for actuating the fluid displacement elements, the last said means also operable to render the second said means active.

7. A control device for the recording mechanism of a weighing apparatus, said device embodying a motor adapted to drive the recording mechanism, trigger mechanism operating to maintain the motor against driving action during weighing movement of the Weighing apparatus, and trigger release means including a pair of independently movable sector arms operatively associated with said trigger mechanism and operable in response to movement of the weighing apparatus to release said trigger mechanism when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, whereby said motor will be rendered active to drive the recording mechanism.

8. A control device for the recording mechanism of a Weighing apparatus, said device embodying a motor adapted to drive the recording mechanism, trigger mechanism operating to maintain the motor against driving action during Weighing movement of the Weighing apparatus, and trigger release means including a pair of fluid actuated sector arms operatively associated with said trigger mechanism and operable in response to movement of the Weighing apparatus to release said trigger mechanism when the weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, whereby said motor Will be rendered active to drive the recording mechanism, and means responsive to the operation of the motor for resetting the trigger mechanism.

9. A control device for the recording mechanism of a weighing apparatus, said device embodying a spring motor having a rotary drum t0 drive the recording mechanism, a rotary spindle extending within the drum and adapted for rotation relatively to the drum, a spiral spring Within the drum and having one end iixed to the drum and the other end fixed to the spindle, an abutment on the drum, means adapted to engage said abutment during Weighing movement 0f the weighing apparatus, to maintain the drum against driving movement, and a pair of independently movable sector arms operatively associated with said means and operable in response to movement of the Weighing apparatus to remove said means from said abutment and release said drum when the Weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, whereby said drum Will drive said recording mechanism.

10. A control device for the recording mechanism of a Weighing apparatus, said device including a motor for driving the recording mechanism, means for maintaining the motor against operation during the weighing movement of the weighing apparatus, said means embodying a trigger, a lever for controlling the trigger, a pair of independently movable sector arms operatively associated With said lever to render the lever active to maintain the trigger in active position and operable in response to movement of the weighing apparatus to render the lever inactive to release the trigger for driving the recording mechanism when the Weighing apparatus attains equilibrium, and means embodying mechanism responsive to the operation of said motor to reset the trigger to lock the motor against operation.

ADRIANUS VAN DUYN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,011,273 Thomas Dec. 12, 1911 1,182,464 Emery May 9, 1916 1,869,289 Timson July 26', 1932 2,014,154 Timson Sept. 20, 1935 2,027,019 Bryce Jan. 7, 1936 2,299,586 Malcher Oct. 20, 1942 

